The stock market barometer Sensex is set to touch 22,000-mark by December from the present 16,400 levels, despite a decline in the overall business confidence, a JP Morgan Asset Management survey said.

Among the eight cities where the survey was carried out, the investors in the nation's financial capital are the most optimistic as they expect the bellwether Sensex to trade between 20,000 and 22,000 by the end of the year, the survey found.

Euro-zone debt pulled the market lower fell for the third straight day, with the barometer index BSE Sensex and the 50-unit S&P CNX Nifty reaching two-week closing lows. Data showing resumption of selling by foreign funds hit sentiment, with the 50-unit S&P CNX Nifty fell below the psychological 5,000 mark after regaining that level earlier in the day. The Sensex shed 34.30 points or 0.21%, off about 300 points from the day's high and up close to 90 points from the day's low. Volatility in European shares and US index futures triggered high volatility on the domestic bourses during the last one hour of trade.

Maruti Suzuki's output of its best-selling Swift car reached 500 units, matching the normal daily production at its Manesar plant, even as striking workers sought the intervention of the district administration to resolve the 14-day standoff. (ET)

State Bank India said its rights issue proposal is on course and it could happen in another 2-3 months. (ET)

Neyveli Lignite Corporation said it plans to set up a 4,000-MW thermal power project in Tamil Nadu with an investment of around Rs200bn. (ET)

It was a manic Monday on Dalal-Street, as the NSE Nifty plunged over 100 points starting off an eventful week on a bad note. It was the second successive trading session where the Indian markets closed with heavy losses. The NSE Nifty ended below the 5000 mark, while the BSE Sensex just managed to close above the 16500 mark.

Markets opened with a gap down, tracking overnight losses in the US and the Asian markets. As the day progressed, disappointing IIP data further dampened the sentiment. The Industrial Production for the month of July fell to 3.3% against market expectation of 6.6%.

No matter how far life pushes you down, no matter how much you hurt, you can always bounce back. - Sheryl Swoopes

The market is looking for some excuses to think that the deepening European debt crisis may see some respite. A report that Italy has asked China to make "significant" purchases of Italian debt, brought some cheer; so much so that US markets staged a comeback.